Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 14, 2009 9:56 am Is 24 squares plus Garage, Decking and Yard big enough for a family home? Obviously we are restricted by the size of our land, but I am just not sure how big or small 24 squares actually/physically is. Re: Size of home... 2Apr 14, 2009 10:04 am I cant picture sizing either. I found the best thing to do was visit display homes. Some smaller homes that I have visited look quite big from the way in which the have designed the layout whereas others look obviously small. Only you will know what is big enough for your needs. Our house will be about 33-5sqs and this is the ideal size for ua. Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Size of home... 3Apr 14, 2009 11:08 am You know it is so funny when people say about their home sizes. A 24-25 sq home is a large home. Most people lived their childhoods in a home around 10-12sq. Our first home we bought was 9sq, our first home we built with Beechwood was 25sq - 4 bedroom, study, formal dining / living, large rumpus as well as an oversized double garage. This was a huge home and would have suited a family of 4 without any issues. We are lucky enough to now be building a 50sq home - and I will feel forever blessed that we are in a position to do it for our family. Everyone has a different perception of what a large home is - but in my opinion you will not have any "cramped" feelings in that size home unless you overload every room Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Size of home... 4Apr 14, 2009 11:25 am I concur with 'Bam'. Just visit display homes and decide on a plan that suits you and your family. Do not get hung up on size as different plans require more/less space than others depending on how they are laid out. Your family might be the type that are sporty/outdoor all the time and might only ever come home to sleep. Then again they might be glued to tv's/computers/study areas and therefore you might need the space for these rooms. Have a think about the lifestyle that you lead and then find display homes that you think might suit your needs. Only then enquire about what size/price the home is and if necessary you will make the compromise that suits your family needs. Good luck and let us know what you end up with. Re: Size of home... 5Apr 14, 2009 11:37 am Size isn't everything....as the saying goes. Some large houses appear quite pokey, because of poor use of the space. And some smaller homes can seem really spacious, especially if the design is open plan. It comes down to whether the size and layout are right for your family. How many rooms do you need? Which areas will need to be separated from others? Will open plan work for your situation? The living space in our house is just under 30 squares (garage and al fresco room not included), and there are five of us. My husband often works from home, I run a business from home, we like to entertain, and we wanted our three boys to have space to hang with their friends without us looking over their shoulders. We preferred our bedroom well and truly separated from the kids' rooms, and I wanted garage access via the laundry or some sort of utility area. An alfresco room was a must and so was a big kitchen that we could both work in without tripping over each other. I looked at a lot of displays and floorplans before I found the one that suited our needs, budget and land size. As Kyton says, I'm constantly catching myself talking about "small" 20-24 square homes.....when I grew up in a 10 square home, and then lived for the past 22 years in only 12 squares. It's all relative.... Re: Size of home... 6Apr 14, 2009 11:53 am Our previous home was 12sq, this rental I think is even less than that. I grew up in a family of 5 in a 12sq home. These are small homes. Although our family home didn't seem small, we obviously just have way more stuff to put in houses nowadays. Our house will be 35sq but 5sq of that is garage so 30sq living. Most volume builders would probably quote yours as 29sq because they normally add the garage in to their sizing (so it's already larger). I agree with everyone else, it's more about how the house is set out. I recently went to a Metricon display centre and was really surprised at how large some of the houses were inside. It really did come down to layout. Take Bam's advice and have a look at a few more display homes just to see how the layout can change the internal sizing. One thing though, storage is really important, get as much storage as possible. I think what really makes houses look or feel smaller is the amount of clutter you can have when there is nowhere to put things. In a 12sq home with very little storage, that's when they seem really small, especially when you are falling over or bumping into things. When you can pack everything away, then you have lots of great empty space. Re: Size of home... 7Apr 14, 2009 11:57 am We are planning on building a 20 (24 with garage) square home. This has 4 bedrooms, open living kitchen dining and a formal lounge at the front which we will use for our home office. We believe this is just fine for us with a potential to accommodate 2 kids at some stage. Plus a guest room. With this design we will still have an alfresco area and a decent back yard to entertain. We have visited lots of display homes and I suggest you do the same if it's an option. You get such a sense of what you like and don't like just by going through homes. We think our home will be big enough for us, but it's really just personal preference. Who's to say if we were prepared to spend more or our land was bigger, if we'd build 23 squares, maybe we'd go much bigger We have a house in Doreen. Built the PD Kensington 24 (with Alfresco & Rumpus option). We are in...Decorating in progress...pics to come soon... Re: Size of home... 8Apr 14, 2009 12:17 pm Thanks everyone, I will go have a look at some more display homes. This topic was really about putting my mind at ease. I was talking to someone on the weekend (mistake number 1), and they told me their 3 bedroom unit is 24 squares - and it's tiny! Either they have their sizing wrong, or it was a poor layout. Thanks ladies and gents! Re: Size of home... 9Apr 14, 2009 1:26 pm I think you will find its too small for a family of more than 3. It all depends on where you lived when you were younger though. For example me and my bf...he has lived in a house about 15squares big and myelf more than 4 times bigger. So there have been many many arguments as to how big everything should be. Definatley go to a place like HomeWorld and go through a few houses. Most have the number of sqaures as you walk in the house in its name. Its always hard to visualise so go in and then you will have a much better idea of the size. DA approved Waiting on a few more Builder's quotes. Re: Size of home... 10Apr 14, 2009 1:57 pm mandystoj I think you will find its too small for a family of more than 3. See I find this statement hysterical. Sorry Mandystoj but I disagree. My parents raised 3 children in a 10-12sq house and we had room. Sure we didn't have the rumpus room and two / three bathrooms that homes these days have. But we each had a large bedroom - probably larger then bedrooms in most homes these days have. We all get spoilt and accustomed to living in large spacious homes. But really when push comes to shove a 24sq home is not small and will not be too small for a family of 4 or more. Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Size of home... 11Apr 14, 2009 2:02 pm kyton mandystoj I think you will find its too small for a family of more than 3. See I find this statement hysterical. Sorry Mandystoj but I disagree. My parents raised 3 children in a 10-12sq house and we had room. Sure we didn't have the rumpus room and two / three bathrooms that homes these days have. But we each had a large bedroom - probably larger then bedrooms in most homes these days have. We all get spoilt and accustomed to living in large spacious homes. But really when push comes to shove a 24sq home is not small and will not be too small for a family of 4 or more. I dont find it hysterical at all, its my oppinion and I think its true!! But like I said in the other part of my post, it all depends what you wre raised in. 560 metres squared is my house for the last 21 years and I would obviously have different views to my bf who lived in a home untill last year of 120 square metres! If you can go bigger I say go bigger, but not too big and think of the future when your children want some space. DA approved Waiting on a few more Builder's quotes. Re: Size of home... 12Apr 14, 2009 2:06 pm mandystoj kyton mandystoj I think you will find its too small for a family of more than 3. See I find this statement hysterical. Sorry Mandystoj but I disagree. My parents raised 3 children in a 10-12sq house and we had room. Sure we didn't have the rumpus room and two / three bathrooms that homes these days have. But we each had a large bedroom - probably larger then bedrooms in most homes these days have. We all get spoilt and accustomed to living in large spacious homes. But really when push comes to shove a 24sq home is not small and will not be too small for a family of 4 or more. I dont find it hysterical at all, its my oppinion and I think its true!! But like I said in the other part of my post, it all depends what you wre raised in. 560 metres squared is my house for the last 21 years and I would obviously have different views to my bf who lived in a home untill last year of 120 square metres! If you can go bigger I say go bigger, but not too big and think of the future when your children want some space. Hrmmm... I'm all for space, but families also need to spend time together - houses that are too big aren't always going to be a good thing IMO. 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Size of home... 13Apr 14, 2009 2:14 pm I can see both sides of the argument. If I could build my own home, Id build it big. And hopefully one day Like most of the people here, I can build my own home. Right now my dad is building me a duplex and my side will be about 26 squares but if I had a choice it would be bigger. DA approved Waiting on a few more Builder's quotes. Re: Size of home... 14Apr 14, 2009 2:32 pm I understand the argument for more space for children... but I think 24 squares will be fine for 2-3 kids. Teenagers tend to need their own space (which they will have as the minor bedrooms are oversized and there is a seperate study), but at the same time keep in mind that during these years, kids spend a 3rd of their time at school, the other third sleeping and the last third is split between being at home and with friends. I agree that we are too spoilt these days. What are we meant to do? Build a house that has a rumpus room and bathroom for each family member? Apart from the fact that it's difficult financially, it's hard to find land that big without going at least an hour away from the city. Re: Size of home... 15Apr 14, 2009 4:14 pm There is no right answer for this one... my opinion (yep, tons of space) will be different to others. At the moment we are renting a 19 square home... 4 bedrooms, sep lounge and large open living/dining area. We have 4 kids.... we live in peace, no-one feels cramped.... it works for us. We are hoping to build a 23 square home, thought we'd upgrade to something just a little more .... spacious We are also going into this with the thought that we can always upgrade to more space if we need to, down the track. There is no point to have a massive mortgage, for a huge space you don't need. Some people need... space. I think it may also depend on where you live... cities can be a bit cramped, i think if I lived in the city, I might need more indoor space of my own. Good luck making your decision buzz Re: Size of home... 16Apr 14, 2009 4:33 pm I couldn't care a sh*t what size my house is as long as it fits us all nicely. I don't want the kids sharing a room but they all don't need their own lounge room or ensuite coming off their bedrooms either, I think there is a happy medium, which I feel we have got. There are 6 of us and our house will 30sqs living (37sqs total) Kids will all have their own bedroom and a shared loungeroom, with the adults having their own loungeroom also, although I believe the kids will mostly still sit in the main lounge with us anyway as this is what "we" do as a family. I have to COMPLETLY agree with Lisanne with the below statement! Quote: Hrmmm... I'm all for space, but families also need to spend time together - houses that are too big aren't always going to be a good thing IMO. We are a tight knit family and we want to keep it like that, hence not building a huge house that divides us all! JMHO Building Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=13002 Site start: 8th July 2009 Handover: 11/12/2009! 5 months total build time. 40 sqs of luxuary...Bliss! Re: Size of home... 17Apr 14, 2009 6:17 pm One thing you haven't mentioned Connie, is how big your family is - do you have 1 child or 6?? There is no right answer - weigh up cost, lifestyle, choice, family size, block size etc etc We have a 23 square house on a 707m square block - it was important to me to have a reasonable size garden rather than cramming more building onto the block - we have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, formal lounge, open space liveing/dining/family - plenty of space for 2 adults and one child. The liveing areas are quite generously sized - we deliberately chose a plan which had larger rooms rather than a 4 bedroom house of same overall dimensions. This was our choice - the size house and block we wanted - cost wasn't really the issue, house is almost paid for, but no point building bigger just for the sake of it In fact the house is probably not much bigger than our previous home in which we raised 3 children - although the block is quite a bit smaller. I do not think a 3 bedroom unit would be 24 squares - that would be a very big unit - my son has a 3 bedroom unit which is about 10 squares: a small lounge room, eat-in kitchen, 2 reasonable size bedrooms, one little bedroom/study ,one bathroom/toilet and a laundry. Re: Size of home... 18Apr 14, 2009 8:24 pm It's all about your expectations really. If you want a 30 square home, then 20 will look small and 40 big. What we did was work out how much we could afford, then we looked at a lot of smaller houses, which made the one we could afford look big. So our house has now become "big", even though it's always been the same size Metricon Riva 33 - http://herlihy-riva.blogspot.com Site start 15/03/2010 - Handover 23/12/2010 9 months and 8 days (284 calendar days) from site start to handover Re: Size of home... 19Apr 14, 2009 9:19 pm Helyn One thing you haven't mentioned Connie, is how big your family is - do you have 1 child or 6?? Good point! At the moment it is just me and my husband, but we are hoping to have a couple of kiddies over the next few years Re: Size of home... 20Apr 14, 2009 10:52 pm Interesting post. The bigger they get the more they cost, funny that. I’m sure if we all have a sh#t load of money why don’t you build the biggest place in the street. I think we should also consider value for money of the space. I may pay 6,000 more for 1 more meter in the WIR. What’s 1 meter at the end of the day. But when I sell the place I bet I don’t get on offer of 6,000 more for the extra meter. You are right about what you grew up in, I was talking to my 80 year old mum about my house. I measured her lounge/ sitting/ living room and it’s smaller than my master bedroom, yet it’s comfortable & adequate. She has managed for 56 in that space, and I’m worried if my WIR will be big enough. Remember most home did not have an ensuit. Be careful with size, and how homes are measured. Under roof, Living, Total Area, Total – Garage and so on. Also display homes are just that, display. The rooms can be a bit bigger than the actual plan, for display purposes. Needs verses Wants, I want 52 sq but I only need 25 sq. At the end of the day the difference between 25 & 27 is very minimal a 100mm off some of the rooms. Good design, make for more room, and what you do with it also. Perception, some homes look a lot bigger than others the same size. Life style is another fact, as Australians work longer to pay off that 52 sq the bank told them they can afford, we spend less time at home. It’s a big investment if you’re not going to use it & enjoy it. When you consider your asleep 8 or 9 hours a day, work 9 that leaves 6 hours a day + the weekend. Lol. I spoke with an old guy I know who lived on a farm in a large house, he then moved into town into a unit (big change) I asked he how he feet about it he replied “well I sleep the same as I did in the big house”. I think OMPO you need a good size bedroom, kitchen, living and one large room to get away from all the others. All the others need to be only as big as needs be but no more. Also don’t be encouraged by others to go big, just because they did. Trying to keep up with the Jones is a big mistake. Anyway that my 2 cents worth, what would I know I can even work out where to put my back door. Lol. Cheers & good luck. King Willy………… “It's just as unpleasant to get more than you bargain for as to get less” George Bernard Shaw. Dear Members I have to decide the Facade column size. My custom builder standard is 350mm with rendering, but i asked for 470mm plus stone or tiles and yet to get… 0 7618 All sorted guys. Just needed to buy a blade with the correct bush. Dunno how to delete this post, can't find any help file. Cheers. 1 3698 Current door width is approx 2700, looking to have double doors fitted 820-820. What size does the frame need to be before door jamb? Thanks 0 3577 |